Low 5 for Eagles: McNabb benched

Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb and coach Andy Reid watch the Eagles' second-half collapse Sunday. McNabb was 8-for-18 for 59 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble before being benched at halftime. "If the football team doesn't play better than it did today, it's about me," Reid says.

BALTIMORE - They lost another game, and that might only be the start of it for the Philadelphia Eagles.

So completely did the wheels come off in a 36-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, the changes that began before the game and then during it might only be the beginning for a team that now appears in free fall.

Benching quarterback Donovan McNabb at halftime had no effect on the on-field performance, as the Birds were equally inept with Kevin Kolb in charge, failing to score a single point on offense for the first time in three seasons.

Whether or not McNabb's run in Philadelphia has ended remains uncertain, since head coach Andy Reid wouldn't say who will be the quarterback when the Birds return home in just three days for a Thanksgiving night game.

This much, though, is certain: The Eagles (5-5-1) are in disarray, destined to miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons, and the futures of everyone from McNabb to Reid and lots of others in between could be determined over the final five games.

"It's about me," said Reid after the team absorbed the second-worst loss of his 10-year tenure, exceeded only by a 42-0 defeat against Seattle in 2005 that marked the last time the team didn't score on offense. "If the football team doesn't play better than it did today, it's about me."

But it's also about McNabb, benched for the first time in his football career after turning the ball over three times in a half that saw the Eagles behind by just three points thanks to a 100-yard kickoff return by Quintin Demps.

"No," said McNabb, asked if he would have taken himself out of the game if he was the coach. "I guess that's my competitive nature. I always think we can get things going and make some plays. But I'm not the coach."

The coach, incidentally, didn't deliver the news himself to the player he chose to build around 10 years ago. McNabb was told by quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur that he wouldn't be starting the second half after going 8-for-18 for just 59 yards, two interceptions and a fumble on eight possessions.

McNabb and Reid, however, did meet for a time after the game, although neither would provide any details.

"I'd rather not talk about that," said McNabb, who at first didn't want to talk about anything Sunday, first choosing to skip his usual postgame press conference before changing his mind as reporters and cameras surrounded his locker stall. "We had a conversation, but we have a lot of conversations."

Reid hoped that by making the switch to Kolb he might spark the moribund offense, and it appeared to work for one moment. The 2007 top draft pick completed five straight passes and had the team at first-and-goal at the 1 with about eight minutes to play. But after a quarterback sneak was stuffed for no gain, Kolb try to throw for the score and was picked off in the back of the end zone by safety Ed Reed, whose 108-yard return for a touchdown set an NFL record.

Whether Kolb gets a chance to spark the offense from the start of a game won't be determined until today. But no matter what Reid decides, his team has problems that go deeper than who is throwing the passes.

"It's everywhere," said offensive tackle Jon Runyan. "There's going to be a lot of fingers pointed at him (McNabb), but it's not necessarily him all the time. We just tried something, and it didn't work out."

Not much did work, even though the defense did its part early by holding the Ravens to a field goal until the final two minutes of the first half, when McNabb's second interception and 43-yard return by Reed set up a short TD pass that gave Baltimore (7-4) a 10-0 lead.

Demps gave the Eagles a chance to believe they were still in the game when he brought the ensuing kickoff back 100 yards for the team's first such score in seven years, but they never took advantage. The Eagles didn't get past midfield until the fourth quarter, falling five points behind when Sav Rocca's end-zone punt was blocked out of the end zone, and went down by eight on a field goal that followed Kolb' first interception. The Ravens made it 22-7 on a blown coverage that allowed Mark Clayton to take a short pass 53 yards to the end zone, and scored twice more in the final seven minutes, with Reed's record-setting interception return leaving would-be Philadelphia tacklers strewn about the field.

Kolb finished 10-for-23 for 73 yards for a 15.3 passer rating that was only slightly better than McNabb's 13.2. He admitted he wants to be back under center Thursday night, but said of his chance, "Obviously it didn't go good, and I'm not doing to pretend that it did."

Nothing did, even though Reid tried to shake things up before the game. Weak-side linebacker Omar Gaither and tight end L.J. Smith lost their starting jobs to Akeem Jordan and Brent Celek. Jordan made a team-high nine tackles and Celek caught three passes, but the Birds have much bigger worries than those positions.

"At this point, the way we're playing, you try anything to get it going," said Runyan of the quarterback switch.

"We're not very effective right now, and it's not all because of Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb," said running back Brian Westbrook, who gained just 39 yards on 14 rushes and lost 5 yards on two receptions. "There are a lot of guys on the offense who need to play better. We have to find a way to win. This was a tough loss and an embarrassing loss."

"This is uncharted territory," said safety Quintin Mikell. "We're used to winning for so long, and this is a weird season. I can't even put my finger on what's going on."

Neither can Reid, though he and his sinking team will try again in three days, after a decision is made about who will play quarterback.

"I definitely hope so," said McNabb, asked if he expects to start Thursday. "But that's not up to me. I'll prepare as if I'm going to be the starter and do what I can do help the team."